White iPhone Finally Available, Just 10 Months Late

Share

White iPhone Finally Available, Just 10 Months Late

The near mythical white iPhone 4 has finally launched, just ten months after it was first announced. The white version of the iPhone was supposed to go on sale at the same time as the black one, way back in June 2010.

Speculation on the cause of the delay has of course been in direct proportion to Apple's silence on the subject. Reasons have included light spilling into the camera thanks to the light surface, to problems with paint, to home buttons that didn't match the rest of the case.

The real reason? According to Phil Schiller, it was science. "It’s not as simple as making something white," the Apple senior vice president told tech journalist Ina Fried, "There’s a lot more that goes into both the material science of it–how it holds up over time… but also in how it all works with the sensors."

Apparently internal components were interacting strangely with the white iPhone's skin. Schiller didn't elaborate, but it could be that the plastic was discoloring over time, like an early batch of white MacBook that turned a dirty yellow color. This tendency to discolor could also be why the white iPhone has extra UV protection.

This official line contrasts with the theory held by the majority of us here at the Gadget Lab. We were pretty sure that the problem was caused by supply issues. Specifically, Apple was having trouble securing enough unicorn tears to bleach its black iPhones white. Boy do we feel dumb now.